So often when people publish their book, they forget the most important part. They forget to do the work. I’ve seen it with authors I have published for and even with those I have not. It’s not uncommon for a writer to think that once the book is finally here it will magically fly off bookshelves.
Once complete, writers stand proudly holding the first few copies. They may feel no one else has ever printed such a magnificent piece of literary art. In fact, they are certain that if Kurt Vonnegut were alive today, he would rush their book to his publisher on their behalf.
I’m sorry to be the one to interrupt the fantasy montage but once the book is complete the work starts. Once you have published, distributing to, and reaching the masses becomes your new focus.
Actually, reaching the masses should start before you have a book in your hands. Here are a few ideas on how to do that before and during the process and absolutely, once you are done.
First piece of “work” I recommend is to start with social media. Social media is obviously a great way to get the word out about your book. It’s affordable and can reach any demographic you seek. Editage says this about utilizing social media:
“Set up an author page on Facebook and an account with Twitter. Observe what kind of posts and promotions get the most likes, shares, and retweets, and apply the insights to increase your social media following and engage with them better.”
I couldn’t agree more. If you want to reach people today social media is the way to go. It’s affordable. Plus, you can control the narrative and how your story reaches your potential reader.
Even if you don’t want to work with social media, create a digital page connected to your book. It will help with building traffic and ownership of your presence online while getting Google to crawl your book’s name and content.
Another way to tell people about your book is to start your own blog or website. Blogs or websites that have blogs are an effective way for you to create branding around you and your message. And I can’t emphasize what I’m about to say enough… blog portions or ideas from your book. This is one of the best ways to get people interested in buying it.
It’s also one of the best ways to reach the very people for whom you wrote the book. Besides, you already wrote the content. Now maximize it by repurposing it in your marketing campaign.
In addition to repurposing your already-created content it’s great to align with experts in the field. Best way to do this is by curating content for your blog and if you actually do some marketing before the book is available it can help you reach readers before your book is available.
Talk about a great way to presell! Tap into the audience that already exists via aligning with writers who are talking to your intended audience…can’t get better than that. This will create organic buzz in your blog and on social media.
According to Editage, “You can help potential readers find you even before you finish writing your book. Update your site with articles that would surface in your target audience’s organic search results. For example, if your book is about managing emotional well-being, cover the latest scientific developments in the field, and intersperse them with insights from your book. If your book is a work of fiction, you could review the most popular books or memorable characters in the genre.”
These are just a few ideas on how to get the word out in an affordable and effective manner. Even though I call it work, it’s not that hard. You have already done the hardest part and that was writing and publishing your manuscript. Now take that final step and make it fly off the shelf, just like you envisioned.
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Conscious Shift Publishing consults, edits, formats, designs, publishes, and markets books. Whether writers wish to self- or indie-publish we inspire them through every step to promote their unique perspectives. CSP clients retain 100% of their royalties as well as 100% ownership of every digital file and image. Find out more at ConsciousShiftPublishing.com or contact publisher, Tracey Kern, at tracey@cscpubs.com to schedule a complimentary consultation. Write on!